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Glen Michael’s Cavalcade

CUT-PRICE CALEDONIAN distant forerunner of ROLF HARRIS CARTOON TIME, only without giant pieces of plain paper, fat marker pens and earnest insights into Disney studio wizardry. In fact, without everything. The titular Mr Michael, already well into his 60s, would appear in a cold bare studio to cue cartoons, only to then cut into animation and “appear” mid-frame to “warn” character of impending peril: “What’s that Daffy? Looks like trouble ahead!” Used to be called Glen Michael’s Cartoon Cavalcade until the money ran out and cartoons rationed to two per show, the rest of the time spent featuring write-in dedications boasting kids’ heads cut from photos and stuck onto amateurish cartoon characters. As seen on CBeebies. Just the other day. Glen resembled that funny uncle who was always really nice to you but your mum warned you about. Scope of ambition, and indeed budget, summed up by sidekick: an oil lamp (yes, really) called Paladin which had a “spooky” voice but which never moved or did anything – it was an oil lamp, after all.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Mags

    July 6, 2009 at 11:25 pm

    Four words to explain it’s popularity – On after Sunday School.

  2. Alan Keeling

    March 18, 2016 at 11:47 pm

    I saw it once during the late 60s, at a relatives home in Paisley, it should have been shown in the Midlands. I really enjoyed it, at the time there were 4 cartoons per programme, I recall seeing (for the first time), The Mighty Hercules, Buzzy the Crow, Fearless Fly, but I can’t recall the 4th cartoon on the programme. There were also 2 small dogs in the studio called Rusty & Rudy. Great stuff.

  3. David Smith

    March 20, 2016 at 4:19 pm

    Glen Michael’s real name is Cecil Buckland. Got me a letter in Creamguide that did, along with the fact that he is in fact a Sassenach 🙂

  4. Kristopher Walker

    April 30, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    I’ve heard that the cartoon “Calimero” about a little black chicken was shown during Cartoon Cavalcade sometime during either the 1970s or 1980s. Would anyone happen to know about that or have any recordings with that cartoon?

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